Sealing off an artery that supplies blood to the portion of the stomach that produces the hunger- promoting hormone ghrelin reduced appetite and triggered weight loss in the first study of the approach in human volunteers. The experiment involving five obese patients in Tbilisi, Georgia, found the procedure led to an average weight loss of 30 pounds within the first month and 45 pounds after six months, said lead researcher Nicholas Kipshidze. The results will be presented this weekend at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco.